Armed militants at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge continue to damage both the delicate ecosystem of the refuge and archeological sites of critical importance to the Burns Paiute Tribe.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed Thursday that not only is the road built last week by the occupiers new, but it is also within an archaeological site important to the Burns Paiute Tribe.

There are approximately 4,000 artifacts belonging to the tribe in the buildings the militants are holding. The occupation is entering its third week.

The tribe is demanding federal action under both theArchaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 and a "protection against bad men” provision in the treaty the tribe signed with the United States in 1868.

Some of the artifacts at the refuge date back 6,000 years. Tribal representatives have repeatedly said they want the militants to leave immediately

"We feel strongly because we have had a good working relationship with the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge," she said. "We view them as a protector of our cultural rights in that area." Source

They are terrorists, criminals and now despoilers of another peoples' culture. They've offended the law on every possible level. I think it's way past time to forcibly remove these guys. Throw away the key, too.

I am third generation Arizona. The European invaders/settlers ignorance, arrogance and sense of entitlement had hideous consequences. I pray for forgiveness. Perhaps because I was raised Christian I think forgiveness is so powerful. Perhaps because Alcoholics Anonymous taught me that there are 8 steps to take before you can even recognize where you are wrong and prepare to make it right Perhaps Spirit told me. I pray for forgiveness.

What NONE of you realize is that the federal government agencys BLM has been taking OUR LANDS that are set aside for MULTI USE, which you can look up consists of ranching, mining , logging, CONSERVATION and we are all ENTITLED to these public lands EQUALLY, the BLM has taken about 100 ranches to add 100,000 acres to that refuge since it began back in the 30's I believe. ALSO our citizens and the the ranchers out there, The Hammonds were sent to prison for back burning on there land, the government sent them to prison once then they were released and the federal government didn't like how much time the judge gave them and they had them sent back THATS DOUBLE JEOPARDY and against our constitution people. You people need to see the whole picture of whats happening here and guess what folks the federal government TOOK THIS LAND FROM THE Paiutes and screwed them over 10 thousand different ways, these PATRIOTS are standing up for our constitution, standing up for citizens who are illegally being kept imprisoned. WAKE UP AMERICANS AND DONT JUST LISTEN TO WHAT THE NEWS TELLS YOU DO SOME RESEARCH ON YOUR OWN and understand this government could give a rats toot about US.

My heart... its broken... hyiostory... ISIS DID this to Babylon and anceint sites in the iddle east, and now this SCUM another gorup of terrorists are destroying... Native american history.. why is it the passion of Scum of the Earth to destroy any connection tot he past..I.. I can't even see through these fucking tears!

Yea Well watching this from up in Canada I am utterly appalled. Where is the military intervention in this matter...You would allow people to be harmed while trying to protect their ancestral grounds? If anyone tried to do this to the headstones in the average city cemetery they would be incarcerated immediately...I am mortified and enraged

THE OCCUPIERS SHOULD BE TREATED AS "TERRORISTS" BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT! THEY SHOULD BE ARRESTED, THEIR PROPERTIES CONFISCATED AND HELD WITHOUT BOND FOR AN UNDISCLOSED AMOUNT OF TIME IN AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION!!

I SEE ALOT OF FOLKS MENTIONING IF IT WAS MY TRIBE.WELL I REALLY DON'T THINK ANY NATIVES AREN'T THAT STUPID TO TRY N' GO THERE WITH THESE ARMED CRAZY WHITE FOLKS THERE,WHAT IS THE BAD THING BOUT IT IS THAT EVERYONE OF THESE PEOPLE ON THE PROPERTY WON'T BE PROSECUTED OR JAILED EVEN IF CAME DOWN TO GUN FIRE...

Painting Hands is right! I think the cowboy/Indian alliance that fought against the XL pipeline should be with the armed Americans in the building. Anyone that sides with the federal government is promoting fascism.

So how come no police action in regards to this? This is criminal along with massive disrespect for the area and the Tribe and the rest of the people in this country- So is the government thinking it's okay to plow up white people's cemeteries? This is destruction of history and just like ISIS!

Painting Hands. This is not double jeopardy. They were not tried twice for the same crime. There is a mandatory sentence they have finish. You don't have to agree with it, but don't call it what it's not

Did any of you actually watch the video? They arent destroying any of the relics, they are trying to open a line of communication with the Natives there, and trying to make sure that the artifacts are returned to that Native American tribe. Am I the only one that understands English here? because I saw and heard nothing but respect for the Natives & the relics from that video. Not to mention they were very gentle with the one item that they actually handled.

I absolutely do not agree with the occupation. At least it appears that it's the wrong cause - the ranchers didn't want their help, they apparently did not scream injustice, so if there's an issue between ranchers and government they should find another event for them to make a stand.

I find it really hard to believe one piece of news or another. During Occupy the people not involved there thought all kinds of crazy things about what was happening, very very different from the reality on the ground.

Tale this page for example. Whether it's intentional or simply very bad journalism, there's a picture of two folks with a bulldozer in the background, which has the same amount of snow on it as the foreground logs - so it's obviously not being used - not at the moment anyhow. The article offers nothing other than that picture to back the wild claim that those folks are bulldozing their way through artefacts. It then goes on to saying the ranchers are "rifling" through artefacts. The video shows a situation on the other hand - boxes with artefacts that are filled with rats nests that seem to have been there for decades. Their conservation in cardboard boxes, whether or not they were open by the ranchers, should be an issue but apparently it's ok for whoever wrote the article to store archeological artefacts in such a way, but not okay for those folks to point it out.

Anyway, just to say that whenever the government is involved in these kinds of confrontations - armed or peaceful - it is important that ALL people only judge hard core facts with a dispassionate attitude as possible.

I am absolutely against armed occupation. I also think that - while I trust that the government is messing with the ranchers just like it's messing with everyone else in terms of transferring wealth from the workers to the 1% who runs the government - unfortunately it doesn't help any legitimate grievance the entitlement with which these ranchers claim possession of native land. Their "traditions" do not entitle them to dispossess land that belong to Native Americans, and their attitude is not helping.

BUT - again looking at the video as objectively as possible - truth be told the guy asks to meet with a Paiute representative to also talk about "land title".

During Occupy the occupiers asked people to turn off the tv and facebook and WALK OVER to meet with other people - it was the only way to actually learn what was happening.

So, I think this is also the case. An invitation has been made for someone to actually go there and see for him/herself and talk and find out who these people really are.

Anyone who has participated in Occupy ought to know that is the only way to actually learn anything real in a fascist state. Go and talk person to person, whether you agree or not. It is the process, not the idea of freedom, that we all have yet to learn (including those who pretend to "free" America with weapons).

The fact that the law is just letting them do this means there must be something behind the scenes politically going on, like those militants must have a lot of money/influence and no official dares touch them, or whoever put them up to this does

When people who don't know what they're doing are on land that they aren't experts at protecting, make their own roads on that land (a fact which is supported by a number of news articles on the subject), and are moving around and going through boxes of artifacts they aren't experts at dealing with, it doesn't matter if they think they are being heroes standing up for citizens against a fascist government. They're idiots endangering things they have no business holding hostage.

The government charges $1.61 per animal unit month to graze one cow and calf on public lands. Private landowners charge an average of $20.10 per animal unit month. So by their logic, if they're going out of business now due to exorbitant fees charged by the government they have no chance at all of surviving if lands are privately owned. So what exactly is the point of the occupation?

To those of you who didn't watch the video, and take the headline as truth, you are in the same class of idiots as the militants. WATCH THE VIDEO! And, I urge the militants to leave as soon as possible.

The government is not "screwing" with the ranchers. The ranchers are nothing more than a colonial welfare system built upon broken treaties and destroyed ecosystems. The Hammonds received about 300,000 in direct cash payment subsidies since 1995, and still insist on demanding more low cost grazing permits and committing arson. Next, this crew of right wing terrorists, derived from the religious nonsense, social welfare and right wing ideology, take over public property and are allowed to roam free. Seal them off. Starve them out. Remove power and fuel. Isolate them. Start with Psyops and give them the privilege of loud music for hours on end. I want them and their privileged ilk extirpated from the public sphere. For over 20 years we have been gloves off on these lunatics and for once they need to be brought to bear and locked up so they can't breed anymore.